


Proof

by Annien



Series: The Arcane Warrior and The Nightingale [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Crushes, F/F, Flirting, Friendship, Pre-Relationship, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 05:56:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8878582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annien/pseuds/Annien
Summary: In the midst of a Blight, Solona Amell struggles with being the leader of an unusual group of people, as well as the responsibilities of the Warden-Commander of Ferelden. And if that was not difficult enough, the inexperienced mage finds out that she also starts developing a crush on a certain redhead...





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone,
> 
> This will either be a multi-chaptered story about Solona and Leliana becoming a couple, either part of a series of standalone one-shots detailing their relationship. I've figured I'd start with something light and a bit strange, just like Solona would be when she would be alone with the stunning and infinitely more experienced bard she has a major crush on. 
> 
> Let me know what you think down bellow in the comments.

 

 

They have been travelling for a few weeks now, but to Solona Amell it still felt strange. She never imagined that she would be able to leave the Circle – she tried that already. So, to be in charge of a group that was supposed to convince an entire nation of the existence of a Blight, and that they were the ones capable of stopping it, when the ruler was openly against them, was not something she could have prepared for. She had been locked up in a tower with only books and stories from senior enchanters as knowledge on how to act on the outside world, so how could she be a good leader?

Looking up from the campfire to her companions that were setting up the tents or preparing their meal, she really wondered what they saw in her. Normally it was supposed to be Alistair, the senior Warden, the one taking charge, but he made it explicitly clear that he would struggle to even look after himself.

With Sten and Zevran it was slightly different. The Qunari seemed to have joined their cause as a way to repay her for granting him his freedom after being imprisoned for murder, while Zevran said that his life would be forfeit back in Antiva, so he offered to serve Solona instead.

What intrigued her the most was the fact that both Morrigan and Leliana followed her out of their own volition. Well, in Morrigan’s case it was Flemeth who set her on the path and did not really offer her a choice in the matter, but the witch seemed to enjoy being away from her mother and seeing more of the world, even if she did everything to let everyone think exactly the opposite. Even if she said that her only reason was stopping the Blight, even if she set her own tent farthest away possible from the rest, even if she got into silly arguments with Alistair that usually ended with her shifting into a raven and flying away, when Solona approached her she did tell the Warden about her past, about her childhood and how it was growing up in isolation, only with Flemeth as company.

And Leliana? Well, she was the one who truly captivated the Warden. She left the peaceful life of the Chantry to join them in their mission, putting her life at risk. And she also was not a mere lay sister. The graceful, yet deadly, way she moved on the battlefield with two daggers in hands, the precise way she could let loose an arrow and put down a foe that Solona did not even see, those were all things that one could not do without years of rigorous training.

And yet, it was clear as the day that Leliana was indeed faithful to the Maker. Solona was often the one to take the first watch, sometimes alone, and unbeknown to anyone, she tried to stay as close as possible to the Orlesian’s tent, only to hear her pray before going to sleep. It was soothing for the mage to lay on her back, close her eyes, calm her breathing and just listen to that melodious voice thank the Maker for getting them through one more day. She even managed to learn a bit of the Chant of Light, especially the Benedictions as they seemed to be Leliana’s favourites.

Being lost in her thoughts about the woman, she did not realise that she dozed off until she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Solona realised who was standing behind her even before looking up, as her senses were met with a sweet floral scent when she started being aware of her surroundings again. When she looked up she was greeted with the same gentle face that she saw in her dream moments before, except that instead of a beautiful smile, concern was pulling at Leliana’s features.

“Are you okay, Solona?” the redhead asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Trying to reassure the other woman, the Warden attempted a smile before speaking, “I am fine, Leliana. I must have fallen asleep by the fire, there’s nothing to be concerned about.” She made a pause, considering if she should ask the question that really intrigued her. Deciding that she needed an answer, Solona continued, “Were you checking up on me?”

When she saw Leliana’s cheeks pink up – and she knew it was not because of the fire – the mage could not stop her grin from showing. To be honest, Solona had to give the redhead credit for recovering her composure so fast that when she spoke, she did not sound flushed.

“I was going to let you know that the meal is ready and to make sure you eat before your watch, actually. But now that I saw you asleep, there has to be a change of plans. Come with me,” she said as she extended her hand to help Solona up.

The mage eagerly took the offered support, maybe a bit too eagerly. In the moment that her hand touched the redhead’s she zoned out again. All that she could think about was how warm the other woman was and how comforting it was to feel her hand. To brush her fingers against a palm adorned in calluses, no doubt created by the strain her bow or daggers put on those otherwise soft hands, to feel the lithe fingers intertwine with hers and help her stand was a very intimate thing they shared, even though it was as ordinary as things could get between companions.

Once on her feet she could not bring herself to let go of Leliana’s hand, so she kept her hand there longer that she should have. Realising with shock that what she did might have overstepped some boundaries, the mage looked at the beautiful woman in front of her, a lame excuse already on her lips. She stopped when she realised that Leliana just experienced the same thing as she did, or at least something similar.

Instead of speaking up and ruining the moment, Solona proudly smiled to herself and loosened the grip on the redhead’s hand, feeling her do the same. When the Orlesian’s eyes came back up to meet hers, the mage saw Leliana mimic the smile she had. Not wanting to break the eye contact, or to linger too much so that Zevran could pick up what was happening – he had a special sense for those things – and tease them for it, she broke the comfortable silence that settled in between them. “After you?” she asked in a low voice, her smile never faltering.

“Yes, right. Follow me.”

When they reached the pot with the rabbit stew that Leliana made herself – hunting included – Solona felt and heard her stomach growl, letting the redhead know that her assumption about the mage’s hunger was correct. She pointed for the Warden to have a sit, but the woman was reluctant to.

“Am I the only one eating? I think we should wait for the others as well,” the mage said, refusing to take a sit.

“Well, Morrigan insisted that she satisfied her hunger in her shifted form earlier when she and I went for the hunt, and both Alistair and Zevran want to finish setting up the camp before nightfall. As for Sten, her took off to _assess the perimeter_ as he calls it when he wants to be alone. Which leaves just you and I, and you are starving.”

Solona took a moment to look at what the others were doing before answering the redhead. She could see Morrigan in front of her tent working on some poultice, while Zevran was engaged in teasing Alistair who was failing to set up the tents. A moment later she looked back at the Orlesian who was still expecting for her to say something.

“You can eat, Leliana. I should… I should help the guys with the camp. So far only your tent and Morrigan’s are up. They could really use an extra hand.”

“Solona,” the redhead said warningly, and the Warden felt like cowering underneath the gaze she received. “You will do no such thing. You _will_ eat and then you _will_ go to bed to get some much needed rest.”

“But what about my watch?” the mage knew better than to argue with Leliana, so she formed her sentence as a question.

“There are four other people who can do that, you’ll be fine skipping one night.”

“But I don’t have where to sleep yet,” she tried her luck once more.

“You can sleep in my tent.”

“What about you?” Solona did not realise how much she wanted Leliana’s answer to be exactly what her heart hoped it would be, until the other woman gave voice to it.

“Well, depending on the watch arrangements, I will either spend most of the night outside or…” Leliana hesitated for a moment, not sure if she wanted to see Solona’s reaction once she offered her plan. “I could join you, the tent is big enough for two people. That’s if, uhm… if you are not opposed?” the redhead’s voice cracked at the last part.

She was able to relax when she saw Solona’s smile and heard her answer. “That sounds great.”

“Good, I’ll uhm… Go get things ready while you eat.”

And with that Leliana left to talk to their companions, and Solona could not help keeping her eyes off the redhead. It was most probably her imagination and wishful thinking that made her believe that she saw a sway in the other woman’s hips. The walk across the camp ended too fast for her to have a proper look and know for certain.

The Warden tried shaking those thoughts away as she started eating a bowl of stew. It was hot, fresh and flavoured just the way she liked. It was tens of times better than what she and Alistair would have made – yes, she had to try his cooking at the beginning of their journey – and better than Zevran’s, who put too much spice into it. Morrigan could also make good food, that is why they alternated in between the two women taking charge of cooking, but her tastes were more… earthly. And it was not like Solona did not enjoy Morrigan’s food – because she did quite a lot – but Leliana’s… Hmmm, her stew was almost creamy, the meat done just enough – unlike Alistair who used to boil it until there was nothing left – and spiced just how she liked it.

And that was how her thoughts drifted back to the redhead, trying to figure out if there was anything the woman could not do. She had to admit to herself that she started developing an infatuation for the charming Orlesian, one that she did not know if Leliana returned. There might have been some signs from the redhead, a smile here and there, the way she agreed to tell her stories if they happened to have a watch together, the way she looked after her just now and made sure she ate and rested, but that was not something that _only_ lovers did, right? And Leliana was being nice to everyone, even to Morrigan who almost every time mocked her faith, despite Solona’s ‘hints’ – because it would have been madness to ask the witch directly – to go easier on Leliana.

So, whatever the Warden thought she saw was most probably only in her head. If only there was a way to actually be certain of that… And maybe there was, Solona thought, but if she really would go with her idea – which involved deception – she had to up her game. That was if she wanted to deceive Leliana. Okay, maybe ‘deceiving’ was a bit too much, because her idea was harmless really. She wanted to see how the redhead would react in her presence if there was nobody around to see or judge her – not even the Warden herself.

So she quickly finished her bowl of stew – which only helped with her plan and made her sleepier – and leaned on a tree trunk that Sten brought as something to sit on near the campfire, pretending to be asleep.

It did not take long for Leliana to return, and luckily for the Warden, she bought the first part. For a quick moment she assessed the situation, until she leaned next to Solona, placed a warm hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear to wake the mage up.

When the Warden did ‘wake up’, it was not hard to pretend to be so sleepy that she could barely stand, considering how tired she really was. Leliana helped her nonetheless, placing her right hand and shoulder underneath Solona’s – it was not hard considering that the Warden was taller than her – and helped her get to her feet and then cross the few metres to her tent.

When it came to laying down on the furs, Solona did not know what to do, how much control over her body to have, because she did not really look forward to hit the ground face first. To her surprise, she did not have to worry about that because Leliana was strong enough to gently lay her down. She did not have to worry about her clothes either, as she was already only in her undershirt and undergarments due to the summer heat, but part of her wondered what Leliana would have done if she would have been fully dressed in her battle vestments. She knew she was getting way ahead of herself regarding her thoughts and wishes, but still part of her could not stop fantasising about how Leliana’s hands would have roamed over her body undressing her.

Scolding herself for thinking that far and making herself bad blood, Solona realised that she zoned out again, which indeed made Leliana think that the Warden was once again fast asleep. What pulled the mage back to reality were Leliana’s hands, tucking her in and covering her with a blanket. The mage instantly felt her heart almost jump out of her chest, thumping so fast and loud that she was actually afraid that Leliana could hear it. She knew she needed to relax in order not to blow everything off by letting out a moan or something equally embarrassing. Thus, she kept her eyes closed and mouth shut and waited for what would come next.

She was grateful when Leliana’s hands dropped to each of her sides and did not rest on her fast-thumping chest, but she did not know exactly how grateful until she felt the redhead slowly press a kiss on her forehead and bid her goodbye, telling her the most wonderful thing she ever heard: “Sweet dreams, _my Warden._ ”

In that moment, Solona could have kissed the redhead for how happy she was, but she realised she had a role to play. Only when she heard the tent flaps close – which probably meant that Leliana went back to eat – Solona opened her eyes and allowed the smile she previously suppressed to take half of her face. She was right, _sweet merciful Maker_ , she was right! Maybe the redhead did not feel as strongly about her as Solona did, but she definitely returned some of those feelings. The fact that Leliana kissed her goodnight and called her _‘her Warden’_ was enough proof for the mage to be slightly bolder and definitely more confident with her flirting in the future.

 


End file.
